Greetings to all who are reading. Ok, so a few things to start with. If you're reading this without looking at my two previous stories, Another and Reunion, you may get confused on who my characters are and what is going on. Reunion isn't so much prerequisite as Another is, but it's up to you. Secondly, this story will be updating every two weeks. I know, that kind of sucks, but honestly, real life is so conflicting that I can only get a chapter done in that kind of time frame. My apologies on that, but it's just how things go, so try not to be too put out about it. Thirdly, I do send out PMs to those that are subscribed to story alerts and mark my stories as favorites whenever I'm updating, so to any who do not wish me to do so, please tell me. Also, any who don't wish to mark this with an alert, but want to know when this updates me, tell me and I'll make a note of it and send you the same PM. Fourthly, I'm going to start responding to reviews via PMs, but I'll probably make mention to everyone that reviewed during the pre-chapter update. Lastly, and most importantly at that, I do love hearing responses from readers, so please to review or PM your thoughts to me. I thoroughly enjoy reading the thoughts and feelings of my readers.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other anime characters that appear.

Summary: Five years have passed since The Thirteen have fallen. Peace has reigned throughout most of Japan, but peace is always only temporary. What approaches that threatens to destroy everything everyone has ever known?

Chapter 1

"Iya, will you slow down, please!?"

Hearing the commanding voice behind himself, a half dog demon with muddy brown eyes, two light purple jagged demonic markings, one on each cheek, long black hair that was bound in a ponytail by a single purple ribbon with his hair reaching below his butt in length, slowed his pace. His clothing consisted of a rich black silk kimono top and pants, with red hexagonal patterns embroidered into it and a pair of black boots. Around his waist was a green obi that held a sword within a black sheath, with the hilt of the sword wrapped in green cloth and the guard being made of gold. Only a single green band was on the sheath, but took nothing away from the perfectly carved glossy black scabbard. Upon the hanyou's head were two black dog ears, with his hands have long claws, and his eyes were a muddy brown color.

Coming up beside of the hanyou was a young neko hanyou, who had long black hair with red streaks mixed in mainly in her bangs, that hung freely over her rear. On her head were two cat ears that twitched slightly. The clothing she wore was a dark blue kimono top with a battle skirt that reached her knees in length, with a sword in a black scabbard on her left side. The hilt of the sword was wrapped in purple cloth. Behind her, a black furry tail swished slightly, showing signs of irritation.

Casting a fierce glare with her piercing emerald eyes, the neko grunted out "Why are you in such a rush? I've never seen you in such a hurry to leave the Western Stronghold."

"Don't worry about it, Lilly." Iya remarked in a clipped tone.

Folding her arms over her chest and looking away, Lilly ground out "It's hard to when you're in such a foul mood."

Rolling his eyes, the dog hanyou focused on the woods ahead, only to remember the conversation he had just had before leaving the Western Stronghold. Immediately, anger welled up within him at the memories.

Silently walking down a long corridor within the Western Stronghold, Iya nodded to a few servants as he passed by, who were quick to stop and bow in return to him. Reaching a doorway at last, he gently rapped on it.

A voice from within the room calmly said "Enter."

Entering into the room, the dog hanyou glanced around, noting the numerous scrolls neatly stacked on numerous shelves, as well as a few mementos on the wall and shelves. Behind the desk that sat at the far end of the room was a large tapestry of a massive white dog demon in it's true form, with a crescent moon upon it's forehead. Inwardly smiling at the tapestry, the hanyou strode forward till he reached the desk, where several stacks of papers were sitting.

Sitting in a chair behind the desk was a silver haired dog demon with golden eyes and double lined magenta stripes on his cheeks, as well as pointed ears. He wore a white silk kimono top embroidered with red hexagonal patterns and white pants, with a yellow and purple obi tying it together. One of his clawed hands was holding a calligraphy brush, which he was using to sign a document that was before him. Using his free hand, he pulled the paper away, only to grab a new one from the stack beside of him.

"You wished to see me, Lord Sesshomaru?" Iya asked, if not stated.

Setting his brush down into it's normal resting place, Sesshomaru turned his golden eyes to his half brother, saying "Yes. This Sesshomaru is sending you on a diplomatic mission to see both the Southern and Eastern Lords."

"Ah, I see." the hanyou commented. "I take it this is a response to the recent capture of those Southern troops?"

"Hn."

Reaching across his desk, the dog demon picked up two scrolls that were wrapped tightly and pushed them forward to the hanyou. "These are to be personally delivered to both of the Lords."

Nodding, Iya calmly asked "Sesshomaru, should I survey the border while on this venture? I'll be gone for at least a month, if not two, so I could check on our borders between both on my way there and back."

"Do not worry about our borders, little brother." Sesshomaru emotionlessly remarked. "This Sesshomaru shall be patrolling still and will check them."

"Have there been any reports of activity in those areas since the last one when you were there?"

"No, none yet." the demon lord answered. "Do not concern yourself with this, Iya. This Sesshomaru wishes for you to focus on this trip alone. You must stress to them the importance of the borders between the West and their lands. If they choose to ignore the West's borders still, then this Sesshomaru shall deal with both Lords swiftly. They do well to remember to fear what this Sesshomaru may do if they do not comply."

Feeling a shiver run up his spine upon hearing his older brother's words, the hanyou nodded. A moment passed as he hesitated to speak, only to seemingly have his mind read by the demon lord.

"You wish to take your mate, do you not?"

Letting out a light sigh, the hanyou nodded his head slowly. Staring evenly at his brother for a few moments, the demon lord spoke once again, saying "You may take her with you on this trip."

Allowing a small smile to grace his face, Iya curtly replied "Thank you, Sesshomaru."

Reaching out to take both scrolls, the hanyou picked each up, saying "I will return in a month to two months time then."

Turning away and beginning to walk out of the room, Iya came to a stop when he heard Sesshomaru calmly say "My mate is pregnant."

Stopping where he was, the dog hanyou turned towards his older brother, who was staring straight at him. A small smirk appeared on the hanyou's face as he softly chuckled. "It's only been six months since you mated. It seems you two sure didn't waste much time in producing an heir for the West."

"Indeed." the stoic dog demon remarked. Standing, he moved out from behind the desk and towards his brother. "This Sesshomaru shall soon have an heir for the West. Our younger brother and his mate have three pups of their own, yet you, little brother, have none."

Unsure of what his brother was getting at, the hanyou didn't get the chance to ask as his brother continued on. "You and your mate have been together for five years, yet the two of you have not produced a single pup. This Sesshomaru ponders if there is something wrong with you, Iya."

Irritated and slightly embarrassed by his brother's comment, the hanyou flashed a glare at his brother before replying in a clipped tone "That is none of your business, Sesshomaru. What Lilly and I do is none of your concern."

"For the West to continue, it requires heirs. Inuyasha has done his part, as have I, but you continue to fail to do so. Are you incapable of producing pups? This Sesshomaru is certain your mate is fertile, thus this Sesshomaru concludes that you are incapable of impregnating her."

Glaring at his brother with anger flashing in his eyes, it took all of the hanyou's inner strength to not lash out at his brother with a verbal assault. Calming himself somewhat, the hanyou ground out "We will have pups when we choose to do so. Now then, if you'll excuse me, I must go."

With that said, the hanyou turned on his heels and stormed out of the room with as much self-control as possible.

Inwardly fuming at the thoughts of his memories once more, the dog hanyou couldn't help but feel the overwhelming urge to race on towards the Southern Lands, allowing him to put more distance between himself and his older brother.

"Damn that bastard, he knows nothing about me. All he seems to care about is making fun of me when he knows that is something important to both Lilly and me. When we get back, I may just …"

"Iya, it's almost dark. Shouldn't we stop for the night?"

Hearing his mate's voice, Iya glanced beside of himself to see Lilly seemed a touch out of breath, but not completely. A frown appeared on his face for a moment before everything clicked in his mind.

"Ever since we left around noon, we have been running at full speed for the most part, with exception of her finally getting me to slow down. No wonder she looks a bit tired. This is the fastest we've gone since we tracked down The Thirteen five years ago."

Slowing his pace till finally he came to a stop, the dog hanyou slightly sighed, saying "I'm sorry about that Lilly. We'll make camp. How about I go hunt us some rabbits for dinner and you start us a fire?"

Nodding in reply, the neko set about the wooded area for some dry wood. Seeing this, the male hanyou left her behind and quickly set out to find dinner.

Within twenty minutes, the dog hanyou returned with two plump hares, one in each hand held by their ears. Finding a comfortable spot, he carefully began skinning the two rabbits with his claws. With their pelts at last removed, he placed each on a stick and set them over the fire. Picking up the pelts, he left the camp till he found a suitable place far enough away and chucked the hides into a hole. Going to the nearby stream, he washed up before returning to camp to see his mate tending to the roasting meat.

Settling in next to his mate, Iya sniffed the air, taking in the scents of the woods, along with the smell of the roasting rabbits, the burning wood, and the fragrant smell of raspberries that belonged to his mate. The scent of the cooking rabbits immediately made his mouth water while his stomach growled out in protest.

Eyeing her mate for a moment, the neko cracked a small smile, saying "Sounds like you're hungry."

"Yeah, I had a light breakfast."

Tending to the rabbits once more, Lilly wistfully remarked "We probably should have eaten lunch before we left."

"Perhaps." was the only reply of the dog hanyou.

Returning to her seat beside of her mate, the neko's brow furrowed before she slowly asked "Did something happen between you and Sesshomaru? You've been so distracted and agitated since you came to get me to leave."

"It's nothing."

Sighing, the neko replied "I know you better than you think, mate. Something happened in that meeting that's upset you to the point you no longer wish to even be near your brother. So please, tell me what happened."

Turning his head away from his mate to stare into the darkness of the forest, Iya softly said "You worry too much about me. It's nothing that you need be concerned with. More or less, it's my brother's sick twisted sense of humor that has me a touch out of character, so don't be concerned about it."

Deciding against responding, the neko simply nodded before leaning forward and checking on their dinner. Finding it was cooked through, she pulled both rabbits off of the fire and handed one to her mate. Both hanyous began eating their meal, with both minding their manners.

Once dinner was over, the pair threw the remains into the fire. Settling in once more, the neko snuggled up against the dog hanyou, who simply wrapped his arms reflexively around her waist.

"I'm glad I got to come with you. I couldn't imagine spending a month or two alone without you." the neko stated while contently sighing as she breathed in her mate's scent of cinnamon and woods.

Running a free hand through the neko's hair and slightly brushing his fingers over her cat ears, the male hanyou responded with "You would have been alright. After all, you and Yoshe could have spent some more time together."

Inwardly smiling at the mention of the Lady of the West's name, the neko couldn't help but remember the pair's meeting from earlier in the day.

Relaxing on a large flat rock with the early morning sunlight beaming down onto herself, the neko couldn't help but let out a contented sigh. Cracking her eyes open, she sat up and looked about the garden she was in. There were numerous flowers within the massive garden, coloring it with all sorts of shades of the many colors. Smelling the air, she allowed a small smile to appear on her face due to the pleasant scents she had picked up.

"I'm glad that Sesshomaru and Yoshe find this garden to be top priority. If it wasn't here, I think I'd be stuck in the woods every day."

Hearing footsteps approaching at a slow pace, Lilly turned from her perch on the large rock to see one of the two people from her thoughts. Walking towards her was a demoness with long white hair that was pinned up in a somewhat formal half bun behind her, with the remainder of her hair reaching her lower back in length. Her bangs were parted, leaving a single lock of white hair that went across her face, while a gray pentagon shaped hair clip with a light blue star within it held the left side of her bangs in place. The demoness's skin was a cream color and seemed flawless. Her eyes were a light blue color and seemed to hold no malice whatsoever within them. She wore a formal fine white silk kimono that reached feet, but did not quite reach the ground, which had long flowing sleeves that hid her delicately small hands. Around her waist was a white band, along with a yellow obi that was tied in the back, where a purple bow that went from her rear up to her mid-back. The very air around her seemed slightly a chill, but her facial expression was warm and cheery.

Standing up, the neko was quick to bow, only to get a small giggle from the demoness. "Lilly, you know you don't have to bow to me. Even though I'm the Lady of the West, you are my sister-in-law and don't need to bow."

Smiling back, Lilly warmly replied "Old habits die hard, Lady Yoshe."

"And stop with the formality already. You know that grates on my nerves too." the demoness reprimanded.

Quietly giggling, the neko nodded, saying in a mocking tone "As you wish, Lady Yoshe."

Rolling her eyes, the demoness grunted out "Don't make me give you a severe case of frost bite."

Feigning fright, the neko put her hands out before herself, saying rapidly "No, don't hurt me, I'm just an innocent hanyou."

Both broke out into fits of laughter for a few minutes before the two settled and each took up a seat on the large stone. Each leaned back onto it, allowing the morning sunlight fall upon them.

Looking over at the demoness, Lilly suddenly bluntly said "I thought ice demons hate being in the sunlight."

"Most do, but some of us don't mind the heat too badly. If I stayed out here all day, I might complain about it." Yoshe answered. "Besides, I can keep myself cool by using my powers, but to do so all day would tire me out. I'll probably head inside here in a while."

Nodding, the neko turned her head back to the sky to stare up at the few clouds that were overhead. Without warning, the demoness spoke again, saying "I found out this morning I'm pregnant with Sesshomaru's child."

Sitting up and looking over at the ice demon like she had grown a second head, the neko allowed a small smile to cover her face before warmly saying "Congratulations. I guess I'm going to be an aunt once more soon."

"That you are, Lilly." Yoshe commented with a smile as she sat up herself. "I only wonder what our child will look like. Both Sesshomaru and I are full demons, so our child will be a mixture of dog and ice demon blood. Maybe he or she will be like Iya, who has ice powers, but has a dog demon appearance."

Feeling a pang of sadness hit her upon hearing her mate's name, the neko only nodded her head before drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Noting this action, the demoness cast a sad smile at her friend.

"You want his child, don't you?"

A bit surprised she was so transparent, Lilly let a hollowed chuckle out. "I do, but it's been five years since Iya and I mated. In all of those years, I've not once become pregnant. I'm worried that I can't have children, even though Kagome and Kiyomi have both told me there is nothing wrong with me."

"Have you considered the possibility that there may be something wrong with Iya?" Yoshe gently asked.

Shaking her head and mirthlessly smiling, the neko quietly replied "I doubt there is anything wrong with him. After all, when he was only fifteen, he impregnated Kaia, who bore him Yukio. That means he's capable of getting a woman pregnant, but yet I've not once been."

Reaching over and pulling the neko up against herself and hugging her, the ice demon gently ran her hands through the neko's hair. "Don't give up hope. I know the two of you will have children in due time."

Hearing the neko sigh and relax into her embrace, the demoness smiled and jokingly added "In the meantime, you could raise mine and Sesshomaru's children."

"I doubt you would let that happen." Lilly remarked wistfully. Releasing her hold on her legs, she reached up and tapped her chin for a moment before saying "I ponder what kind of father Sesshomaru will be like."

Letting the neko go, the ice demoness softly chuckled at her sister-in-law's words. "I have no doubt he'll be like he is as a husband. Probably attempt to show no emotion, though in six months time, I've picked up on his emotions and what he's thinking."

"You know you have him wrapped around your finger, right?"

"Yes, I know." Yoshe confirmed with a smirk on her face.

Returning the smirk, the neko slyly remarked "Hard to believe such a stuffy demon lord would crumble under the whims of his mate. I'd have never guessed you could make him do whatever you wanted."

"I suppose it takes an ice demon to tame an icy heart." the demoness jokingly commented with a smug look on her face.

Glancing up at the sky, the demoness let out a heavy sigh, muttering "It looks like it's nearly time for my chores to begin. It's so irritating to have to do these mundane things."

"It's all a part of being the Lady of the West." Lilly smartly quipped with a smirk. "It makes me glad I'm not you."

Throwing a feigning glare at the neko, Yoshe couldn't help but chuckle. "I suppose so. In some respects, you're lucky, seeing how you get to leave the Western Stronghold so often and travel with your mate. I'll be stuck here more than likely for the next few years, at the least."

"You'll get to go out and patrol eventually, I'm certain. After all, Sesshomaru will have no choice but to give into your requests if you ask him, especially since knowing your nature, you won't let him forget."

"True."

Smiling at one another, the two stood up and embraced one another. Separating, the ice demon said her goodbyes before vanishing into the stronghold.

Staying alone for a few minutes, the neko softly sighed, saying aloud "I guess I should go in and try to find Iya. Maybe he'll have time to have lunch with me."

Waking from her thoughts, the neko noticed her mate seemed quite relaxed. Venturing a glance up at his face, she noted he had his eyes closed, but knew that he wasn't asleep.

"What are you thinking about?"

Opening his muddy brown eyes, the dog hanyou glanced up at the night sky, which was partially blocked by the tops of the numerous trees. After a moment, he smiled and kissed the top of his mate's head, saying "Just thinking how lucky I am to have such a loving mate."

Blushing a bit from the comments, the neko snuggled slightly into the dog hanyou. Inhaling his scent of cinnamon and woods, Lilly contently sighed.

"Should I even broach the subject?" the neko mumbled in her mind. Deciding to, she sat up and turned to face her mate, giving her a face to face encounter.

Noting his mate had shifted, the dog hanyou did the same and stared into her eyes. Finding something seemingly just beneath the surface of her eyes, which looked like a question being formed, the male hanyou asked "Is something wrong?"

"I wanted to ask you something." Lilly quietly said. "Iya, we've been mated for a little over five years now, haven't we?"

"Yeah, just a little over five years. Surely you haven't forgotten that we just celebrated earlier this month."

Shaking her head, the neko weakly smiled, saying "No, I haven't, and I could never forget our time together. But …"

Pausing for a moment, she looked down at the ground with her cheeks heating up, giving them a light pink tinge. In a near whisper, she looked up and quietly said "We've yet to have children."

Going visibly rigid, the dog hanyou felt his breath hitch and inwardly groaned. Before he could say anything, he felt his mate place her finger onto his lips, hushing him.

"I was speaking with Lady Yoshe today, and she told me that she is pregnant with Lord Sesshomaru's child. She asked me when we were going to have pups of our own."

Feeling her cheeks were as warm as ever, the neko pressed on in a bold voice. "I want to have your children, Iya, but in five years time, I've not once been pregnant. I'm worried that when I became a hanyou, maybe, maybe I lost the ability to have children, and if that's the case, then …"

Before the neko could finish her sentence, the dog hanyou quickly pulled her into a tight embrace. Placing his hand behind his mate's head, Iya softly stroked her hair. Releasing her at last, he looked her in the eye, finding uncertainty within her emerald orbs.

"Lilly, don't let others worry you about such trivial things. Children will come in due time, so don't feel that you need to have my children."

"But it's not such a trivial thing." Lilly murmured within her mind.

Staring still into his mate's eyes, the dog hanyou added "I love you more than anyone else in this world or next, no matter what. Even if we never have children, it won't mean that I love you no less. I'm happy just being with you, and in due time, I'm sure children will come. So please, do not worry about it."

Inwardly sighing, the neko mentally whimpered "What kind of mate am I if I cannot continue your family line? He doesn't realize how important this is to me. I guess... I guess for the time being, I'll have to just accept things as is. Perhaps I can ask help from Kagome or Yoshe in what to do."

Forcing a smile to her face, Lilly simply nodded, saying "Alright, I won't worry about it."

"Good. Now then, we should get some sleep. We have a long journey ahead of us."

With the male hanyou's words said, both the hanyous stood up and began cleaning up the campsite. After putting out the fire, the pair began searching the area for a place to sleep. The pair searched the forest for a few minutes before selecting a large leafy oak tree to sleep in.

Iya leapt into the tree first, looking for a suitable branch to sleep on. Finding one after a minute, the hanyou called down from the tree to his mate, who quickly climbed up in to where he was. Taking his black kimono top off, he settled up against the trunk of the tree as his mate soon sat down in front of him and leaned back against him. Once she was comfortable, Iya pulled his black top over them.

Ears twitching, the dog hanyou kept alert for several minutes before noting his mate's breathing had evened out. Looking down at her, he couldn't help but smile at her sleeping form. Instantly, a pang of guilt flowed through him from his earlier conversation.

"I want to have your children, Iya, but in five years time, I've not once been pregnant. I'm worried that when I became a hanyou, maybe, maybe I lost the ability to have children, and if that's the case, then …"

Hearing his mate's voice uttering those words had been heart wrenching. "She wants to have my children, yet she's scared something is wrong with her. I just didn't have the heart to tell her the truth..."

"It's not her fault that she's not yet pregnant. In all actuality, we could have had pups by now, and probably should have. It's my fault that we haven't. Because of my fear from what happened with Kaia and myself, I just can't let myself do that to Lilly."

"I've constantly kept track of how fertile she is, making sure that when we're together it's not possible to impregnate her. Each and every time she has been fertile, I've managed to find an excuse to keep myself away, whether it be out on patrols, or wearing myself out till the point of exhaustion that I need to sleep for long periods of time."

Feeling his mate snuggle into his chest ever so slightly, Iya stared at her restful expression. "I don't deserve someone so caring as she is. It has to be hard for her to live with what I do. In all honesty, I want to have children with her, but I'm still afraid. Yukio was a product of my heat and what I did to Kaia. Though he no longer hates me, we still don't get along too well. I guess I'm just afraid that the same thing will happen, that I'll repeat history and end up with another child that hates me, or will not get along with me."

Allowing a small sigh to escape his mouth, Iya gradually slid his eyes shut. Slowly, he felt his body beginning to slip into a light slumber, but kept his senses sharp and alert for any possible danger.

Quietly following a man in green clothing was a young woman with waist length orange-brown hair that was partially tied up in a loose bun on the back of her head, cream colored skin, pointed ears, and gray eyes. Fluttering slightly in the gentle breeze of the mid-morning air was an open white haori with black vertical lines and single black dots on the hem of it. Underneath of her white top was a black kimono top and pants, tied together with a white ribbon obi sash and white socks covering her feet, which were held within a pair of sandals. On her left hip, within her obi, was a wakazashi length sword within a black sheath, having a red braided hilt and an oval golden guard.

Smelling the air, the young woman attempted to pick up a familiar scent that she was looking for, only to find it missing.

"Don't bother trying to pick up his scent, Mage Orihime. It's just not possible currently."

Casting a bit of a disgruntled look at the man before her, Orihime came to a stop, causing the man she was following to do so. She stood completely still, waiting for him to turn around towards her. At last, the man turned to face her. Casting a glare at him, she took in his looks and clothing for the millionth time and fought the urge within her mind to do or say something drastic.

Staring back with an impassive look was a man dressed in a dark green kimono top and pants, with a black obi. Covering his top was a long black coat that reached his knees in length that had white diamond shapes across the bottom of it. On his head, obscuring his eyes with shade, was a green and white stripped bucket hat that covered blonde hair that stuck out the sides. A pair of geta were on his feet, leaving them mostly exposed. In his right hand was a wooden cane that was slender and seemed to have a separation place near the top of the curve in it.

"What is it, Mage Orihime?"

Throwing her arms up, the bobcat mage growled out "For the millionth time, stop being so formal with me, Kisuke!"

In a cheery tone, Urahara smiled and replied "But it's a compliment to call you Mage Orihime. I would put it close to how I regard a lord or lady of some noble family."

"But I'm neither of the above!" Orihime hissed. "Just because I'm a mage doesn't mean you have to call me one, so please, just call me Orihime, or if you prefer, Inoue works even. Call me anything besides Mage Orihime!"

"Shall do, Mage Orihime."

Groaning loudly, the bobcat mage cast a glare that could kill at the sword smith, only to see him still smiling. Before she could shout anything at him, he turned away and began moving once more.

Without warning, in a serious tone, the sword smith calmly said "We're getting close. Be on guard, just in case."

Deciding to heed her guide's words, the bobcat mage settled and fell in step behind the sword smith without a word. Following behind him, she glanced around, frowning that she had still yet to find the presence of the person she was looking for.

"It's been five years since I've seen him. I only hope he is alright. He left without warning all those years ago, only sending me this zanpakutō a few months later, with a note saying not to worry about him, that he'd return for me in due time. But that was five years ago..."

Glancing up ahead, the bobcat mage glared at the sword smith moving before her with anger swirling within her eyes. "I waited a few months before finally leaving to find Ichigo. No matter where I searched for him, I couldn't find him. Lilly had no clue where he had gone to when I asked her. She was certain Iya didn't either, so I took her word. It wasn't until a month ago when I ran into the pair and questioned them about it did I find out Ichigo had told Iya where he was going all those years ago."

Clenching her hands into fists, Orihime felt anger welling up within herself at the thoughts of that meeting. "That damn bastard could have told me five years ago where to find Ichigo, yet he kept it to himself. I know Ichigo told Iya not to tell me and didn't want me to worry, but Ichigo failed to mention to him he'd be gone for this much time. It just infuriates me that Iya didn't say anything for five years."

Calming herself, the demoness stared at the back of the man before her once more, but immediately felt her anger swelling once more. "And then there is him..."

Finding a somewhat rundown shack, Orihime sniffed the air, searching for any signs of the person she sought. Discovering his scent was not present, the bobcat demoness slightly sighed before making her way to the doorway of the hut.

Pecking on the doorway of the hut, she timidly called out "Hello, Master Kisuke Urahara?"

"Come on in." a cheery sounding voice sounded off from inside.

Walking into the hut, the demoness found the sword smith on the ground, examining a sword closely. Setting it aside, he looked up at her and smiled before standing.

"You must be Mage Orihime Inoue. Ichigo was right, you are quite a beauty."

Not bothering to blush, the mage smiled at Kisuke, saying "Thank you."

Motioning towards the empty space near where he had been sitting, Urahara warmly said "You must be tired after searching me out. Take a seat and rest up. I'll make us some tea."

"You don't have …"

"Nonsense, there is always time to rest and drink tea."

Before the demoness could argue back, the sword smith vanished into an adjoining room, leaving her standing by the fire. Deciding to relent, the bobcat demoness sat onto the ground next to the fire pit, but not before removing her sword from her obi and placing it on the ground next to herself.

A few moments passed before the sword smith returned carrying two cups, a small tea kettle with water sloshing inside, and a small cloth bag. Setting the kettle over the fire, the man sat back down and handed a cup over to the mage.

"I see you carry that zanpakutō that Ichigo had me make for you. Tell me, how have you progressed with it?"

Eyes filled slightly with confusion, Orihime glanced down at the sword next to her before looking back up at the sword smith across from her. "You created Minazuki?"

"That I did, and it's a fine piece of work, I must say." Kisuke answered in a chipper tone. "I see that you've learned it's name, meaning you've achieved Shikai at the least."

Nodding slightly with a small smile on her face, the bobcat demoness replied "Yes, I have managed to unleash Minazuki's Shikai. It's quite different from that of Ichigo's zanpakutō, or that of others that I've seen."

"But of course!" Kisuke quickly replied with a smile. "Each zanpakutō is different. There are none that are completely the same. Almost all have some unique personality."

Digesting the sword smith's words, the demoness softly said "Yet Byakuya Kuchiki and his slave, Kaia, had the same release and zanpakutō names."

Smile fading, the sword smith frowned before slightly sighing and folding his arms over his chest. "True, but that was something that should never have happened. Those two zanpakutōs were created by my former pupil, who has disobeyed all of my teachings when coming to creating a zanpakutō. His creations should never be used, yet they are, unfortunately."

"Now then, how about that tea? The water is ready." Kisuke chirped, his former frown gone as a smile replaced it.

Nodding appreciatively, the demoness accepted her tea and soon began sipping it down. The two sat in silence for a few long moments before finally the female bobcat decided to speak up, only to be cut off before she could say what was on her mind.

"You're here about Ichigo, aren't you?"

Eyes widening a fraction, Orihime calmed herself before slowly nodding her head. Watching the sword smith remove his hat to reveal light blue eyes that had been hidden within the shade of the brim of his hat, the bobcat saw him weakly smile for a moment before putting it back on top of his head.

"I figured you'd eventually come looking for him here. Not that I blame you, seeing how he's a hard man to find at the moment. I still think he was an idiot for not telling you where he was going five years ago, but that's a debate that has long since passed."

Timidly, Orihime softly asked "Do you know where he is currently? I'm pretty sure he's not here, seeing how his scent is nowhere around here."

"Very clever." Kisuke commented. "No, he's no longer here. I took him to someone else for some training about four and a half years ago. How about I take you there? Once there, I can explain a few things for you."

"I'd like that."

"Then it's settled, we'll leave tomorrow."

Well over a week since she had met the sword smith, Orihime still stared at his back. "He's taking me to Ichigo he said, yet I can't help but feel miffed with him still yet. Kisuke has done nothing but ignore my requests for him to be less formal with me, plus I know I've caught him trying to peek on me when I'm bathing. He's nothing but a damned old pervert."

"But yet, he is protective of me at the same time, seeing how me saved me from that one ogre demon, though I could have done it myself. And still yet, he is the only one who knows where Ichigo is. I guess I should be somewhat grateful he's willing to help me."

Woken from her thoughts at the sight of the sword smith coming to a stop, she opened her mouth to ask why they had stopped, only to have him hold his free hand up to silence her. Watching him with curiosity on her face, the bobcat mage bit her lower lip, waiting in anticipation.

Holding his cane out with his right hand to look like he was pointing, Kisuke pressed the flat end up against what looked like nothing, only to stop and smirk. Moving his left hand beside of his face, he placed his index and middle finger up while the rest of his fingers folded downwards.

In a quiet voice, he whispered "Open."

Without warning, the area before the pair shimmered slightly as a glowing golden doorway appeared. Lowering his hands, Kisuke turned towards the bobcat mage, saying "Follow me."

Mutely nodding, Orihime followed through the shimmering doorway, which soon closed once she was through. Looking around, she noted they were still within a forested area. Noting that her guide was moving on, she followed quietly behind.

Walking for only ten minutes, the pair soon came into a small cluster of huts. Continuing on, the two demons soon reached what looked like a large set of training grounds where the sound of swords clashing filled the air. In the center of the grounds was a large golden domed barrier. On the outside, six figures were sitting somewhat closely together, while another, a much larger one, sat alone with his hands turned towards the barrier. Completely alone from the group was a single figure, who seemed to be staring along with the others at the interior of the barrier.

Within the barrier, two figures were fighting. The sound of steel singing throughout the air was loud, as well as the sight of sparks flying from the two combatants blades.

Approaching the lone figure who watched all of this, the pair soon stopped, only to have the figure turn towards them. The figure was quickly distinguished as a slim young woman with waist length teal colored hair that hung freely, a single pink demonic marking line reaching across her face from one hazel colored eye to the other, a well endowed chest, and what looked like a skull without it's jaw and horns coming off of it's sides on top of her head. Her clothing was a set of white tight fitting clothing, consisting of a top and pants, with each having numerous lines that sectioned out pieces of it. On her left hip sat a sword within a light green colored polished scabbard, a rectangular guard, and a light green cloth braided hilt.

Quietly walking towards the pair with an emotionless expression, the young woman was quickly determined as a demon by the bobcat demoness, who noticed pointed ears poking out of the other young woman's hair.

In a calm, emotionless voice, the teal haired demoness said "Kisuke Urahara, I see you have returned."

"Indeed I have, Neliel." Urahara responded in his usual chipper tone.

Noting Neliel's eyes were fixated upon the young woman next to him, the sword smith smiled and said "This is Mage Orihime Inoue, a young woman who has journeyed with me to find Ichigo."

Turning towards the bobcat mage, the sword smith motioned a hand towards the other demoness while still smiling. "Mage Orihime, this is Neliel Tu Oderschvank."

"It's nice to meet you." Orihime humbly said before bowing.

Bowing in return, Neliel calmly replied "Likewise."

"Now that introductions are out of the way, how about we go and have a cup of tea and talk about some things?" Urahara offered.

Ignoring the sword smith completely, the bobcat mage's brow was crinkled as she picked up a very familiar scent that seemed to be within the air. Listening carefully with her heightened sense of hearing, the bobcat demoness quickly picked up on the sounds of the one she sought after. Determining he was within the barrier, she focused her sight onto the two figures and began making out both.

The first was facing her, but she could not determine who it was. Looking him over, she noticed that he had short blonde hair that was cut out in a bowl shape, but only reached his jaw in length, golden eyes, and a facial expression that revealed his upper teeth. His clothing consisted of a pair of white pants and top, with black filling in a portion of the top. The sword he wielded was had a golden square guard with red cloth wrapping the hilt.

Staring at the back of the other fighter, the female bobcat's eyes widened a fraction while her breath hitched in her throat. The other fighter wore a similar black kimono top and pants to what she wore, with the difference being he had a red leather rope hanging from his right shoulder to the left side of his waist. She could visibly see his spiked orange hair, along with the large cleaver blade sword that he wielded.

Taking a few steps forward, the demoness suddenly stopped as the pair locked in combat spun around, with the familiar fighter to her turning to face her. Immediately, her eyes widened as fear slowly crept into them at the sight of a white bone mask covering the orange haired fighter's face, with red stripes running along the left side of it. To her, the most disturbing sight was his eyes were golden, but his scleras were no longer white but were black.

In her mind, a familiar image of another white bone mask flashed. Fear began clouding her mind as her body slowly began to tremble. Before she could do or say anything, she suddenly felt a comforting hand land on her shoulder, making her turn her head towards the owner of it.

Looking at the demoness with compassionate eyes, the sword smith quietly said "Come on, Orihime. Let's go talk first before you meet up with Ichigo once more."